Saturday, December 6, 2008
Smokey Casinos, Rocky and Dirty Stages before heading home to the Bay Area.
OCTOBER  So the Fall Tour of 2008 is in full swing. About 90% of my time on the road is with Mitch Fatel. But I also work often with another good comedy bud, Ralphie May. Ralphie has always always been very nice to me. Just a great guy with a big heart. His wife Lahna Turner is also a funny comic and a true sweetheart. Two of the most kind people you want to meet. Well I got a call from Ralphie saying he was working a big casino in Laughlin, Nevada. If you're thinking about going to Laughlin, re-think this decision. Actually my guess is people are really on their way to Vegas and they hit Laughlin first and decide, "Screw it. Rooms here a a nickel." But Ralphie was working the Riverside Resort and asked if I would open for him. Mitch and I had the week free so I jumped at the chance to work with my old bud. This was such a fun gig. We did one show a night, Thursday - Sunday. Shows were packed with well over (400) people each night. The shows were a mix of young/old, locals/tourists. But they were so appreciative of the shows. Ralphie has a huge fan base. He was being recognized whenever we walked through the hotel. Shows were great and Ralphie and I got to spend time together during the day watching movies and enjoying some great meals. On Sunday night, Ralphie's buddy Kyle Turley came to hang out. He use to play offensive tackle for the Saints, Rams and Kansas City Chiefs. Good guy. We all had a great dinner together Sunday night before the show. Thanks to the people in Laughlin for making our visit much better than expected. And thanks to the three ladies who participated in the Losers Lounge wet t-shirt contest. Any chance I can get my $3 back? I probably shouldn't have thrown it but Ralphie was applying pressure. Now keep in mind Mitch gets very jealous when I work with Ralphie. I always joke to Mitch that Ralphie takes better care of me on the road but truth is they both treat me very well. So now it was time to join Mitch in Philadelphia. Mitch and I worked Philly together last year. In fact it was one of the first weeks we worked together. The club is called Helium and is a great club. I fell in love with Philly when I was there last year but enjoyed it even more this time around because it was mid October and the weather was great. AND the Phillies just clinched a spot in the World Series. They were just waiting on the winner of the American League series. The shows were a lot of fun. I must say, even if the shows aren't great but the staff is cool, that really makes a difference. BUT both shows are staff were great. The club is in a fun neighborhood and walking distance to the hotel and a ton of fun things. I love playing tourist in some cities. In Philly I did the double decker bus tour and saw a ton of stuff, including the Betsy Ross house and the Rocky statue. I also got to see some old friends from San Francisco, including my good buddy Ben and his family. And my buddy Mark who now lives in Washington DC. But here is the best part. I mentioned the Phillies were waiting to figure out who they were going to play in the World Series. My friend Chris works for the Phillies and asked if I wanted to meet for lunch on the Friday during my visit. I met him for lunch and afterwards he said we should see if the team is taking batting practice. We go into the stadium and indeed the team is on the field taking batting practive. And the best part nobody else was in the stadium to watch. It was a closed practice so it was just me, Chris and a few other people watching the team. Great experience. So so cool. Thanks to Chris for such great hospitality. Love Philly. Loved Helium. Looking forward to coming back.       From Philly I flew to San Francisco because my ex-girlfriend Gretchen was getting married and I was invited to the wedding. We've been good friends for years and her now husband Adam is a good guy. Gretchen and Adam actually got married the Friday before so this was just a celebration reception. The reception dinner was held at a gorgeous restaurant in Sausalito, CA with a great view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. I got a chance to see a lot of Gretchen's family and friends. I was so happy Gretchen wanted me there. It was a great evening. From San Francisco I flew to Atlanta for some shows at the Atlanta Punchline. Now I love Atlanta. I could live there if I wasn't making over $7,000 a year in showbusiness. I really like the area. My favorite part of Atlanta is seeing my good friends Eddie, Irinia and their two adorable daughters. And their great dog Lexi. So although I love Atlanta, I am not a big fan of the club. Not sure what it is. Maybe a combo of things. But if it wasn't for seeing friends in Atlanta I'm not sure I would be quick to head back. The club is old and the audiences are very mediocre. I guess at one time years ago this was an amazing club. But I think over the years things have changed and it just isn't what it use to be.....so I've heard. My friends came out to the 7 p.m. Saturday show. I don't know what it is but anytime you invite friends to a show, it's always the worst of the week. Not sure why but every comic will agree. ALWAYS. So when I got on stage, I could immediately sense the dead energy. And usually first show Saturday is great. But not this time because I had friends in the crowd. But after the show my friends seemed to think it was good. I guess comics are their own worst critic. But comedy rule number one. Never invite family and friends out to see you. By the way, Mitch and I had one of our first big fights on the final night here. We have since made up and are now planning a future together but this club brought out our evil personalities and almost ended a friendship simply because of a cab receipt(inside joke). I wonder if the crumbled papers are still laying on the stage in the corner.   NOVEMBER November was a great month because it was a homecoming of sorts. Mitch and I got to play two clubs I started at when I began comedy in 1998, the Sacramento and San Francisco Punchline. These clubs have no relation to the Punchline club in Atlanta. But I loved our November shows because it was one of the rare times my flight to the venue was much shorter than Mitch's flight. Mitch lives in New York and we have been doing a lot of east coast shows that are closer to Mitch. So this was a nice run for me living in Los Angeles and being so close. When I started comedy, myself along with other newbies would perform on the open mike nights at the Sacramento and San Francisco Punchline. I've been back to both clubs since moving to LA and have worked with a variety of headliners since my days of bombing and doing free shows. But for some reason these back to back weeks with Mitch were just significant in my career. It was ten years ago that I started working these clubs and I just felt like my act has really progressed and it's something I'm really proud of. It was nice to see Daria in Sacramento. Daria is the manager of the Sacramento Punchline. She has been with the club for a number of years. She is great. Even when I was starting out and was a new comic, she was always so so nice to me and the other comics. I will never forget that. And in San Francisco, it was great to see Lance, Molly, Kirk and a lot of people I remember from years ago. Looking forward to coming back to both clubs. It's funny. I remember when I started working both clubs, I always liked the San Francisco club better. They were hip, smart, fun crowds. Sacramento is about (90) minutes outside of San Francisco and was always known to be a little more rowdy, a little less respectful. But still fun. But as rooms go, Sacramento was always a little intimidating for new comics. Well this trip I enjoyed both clubs a lot but must say I enjoyed Sacramento a little more. Great crowds. Lot of fun. Again, both were great but Sacramento was a blast. Maybe it had something to do with the hooker I saw walk across the courtyard at my hotel, make a call outside a hotel door, went inside and honestly within an hour I saw her walking back to her car. HMMMMM.   October and November were great. Mostly highs. One low(Atlanta). December is going to be great. Mitch and I were suppose to do the West Palm Beach Improv the first week of December but the club is being remodeled and we thought it was going to be open for our week 12/4 - 12/7. But it didn't happen in time. Our week in West Palm is now in February. I will be returning to New York in December to perform at Gotham Comedy club. I was there in September with Mitch but this time I'm working with a guy named Tom Papa. Funny comic. I am looking forward to being in NYC right before XMAS. Mitch and I will be at the Improv in Ft Lauderdale for NYE and through the first weekend of January. So come out and see us. My 2009 calendar dates will be up soon. It's going to be a busy year. Watch for them soon. I will also be posting the best/worst of 2008 in my end of year blog. Happy Holidays. Hope to see everyone at an upcoming show, either in December or in 2009.
posted by Gary Cannon at: 2:13 PM | 0 Comments
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Great baseball parks, rowdy football fans and some comedy thrown in:
Houston, TX:This year has been busy. BUT the month of September was by far my busiest comedy month of the year. Mitch and I started the month at the Houston Improv. We worked the week before Hurricane Ike hit. The Houston Improv was easily one of our favorite clubs ever. Great audiences, great staff, great managers. This club was at one time a Rainforest Cafe restaurant. Hard to believe people didn't want to eat overpriced nachos in a safari type environment. I will say the fake volcano is certainly tempting as a customer but I would prefer to dine and dash at Red Robin. BTW. The unlimited basket of french fries is a scam. They bring you four at the beginning of your meal and say you can always ask for more. BUT you can never find your server once the meal starts. They are in the back smoking out with the manager. Wait. Where was I? Oh. Rainforest Cafe. Houston Improv.
So these restaurants are HUGE. Maybe like 900,000 square feet. Now they go out of business and the Improv comes in and maybe uses 20,000 square feet. Which means much of the club is unoccupied and deserted. It would be a great place for a haunted house. But the club is upstairs and just beautiful. Thanks to everyone in Houston for coming out and making the week great. And thanks to Jeff for the amazing hospitality. Mitch and I were bummed because when we visit different cities we like to see a professional ball game. And this weekend the Houston Astros and Houston Texans were out of town. So no luck.
 
New York City, NY:The Houston Improv ended on Sunday night and I really wanted to see my high school buddy and his family from San Antonio. So on Monday I did something I've never done. Had sex without paying for it??? Not this time. I took a Greyhound bus from Houston to San Antonio. I've heard you can meet a ton of hot chicks on the Greyhound so I decided to take a chance on love. I got to San Antonio and spent a great evening with my buddy Greg, his wife and three great kids.
Tuesday morning I left San Antonio for New York. I was excited about this trip because I was working the week at a great club in the city called Gotham. My first time. And Mitch just bought a new place and I was excited to stay there. New York is one of my favorite cities. Fly in. Mitch and I have dinner. I see his new place. It's amazing. Such an incredible view of the city from his windows. This trip had so many great memories. Our shows at Gotham were a blast. Mitch and I did a bunch of press to promote the shows, including two on Sirius Satellite Radio. We did Maxim Radio with Covino and Rich and Raw Dog with Pete Dominick. The Sirius studios are amazing. I've been a Sirius subscriber for years but seeing the nerve center in person was very cool. And I am a HUGE Howard Stern fan. We got to take a tour of the Stern offices and studio where they do the show live. The show was off the day we visited Sirius but it was still great to see firsthand where they record. Thanks to Pete, Rich, Covino and Jason at the Stern show for a great day. Another incredible memory was my first Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. I got to see a game before they moved next spring. Mitch was suppose to come with me but on our way to the game he realized he lost his keys and he wanted to go back and find them. So I took the subway up to the Bronx solo. The stadium is old but historic. It was great to step foot inside and be part of so much history. Glad I was able to make it to the game.
 
 
 
 
I mean the trip to New York is the top highlight of the month. Even when I wasn't doing anything specific, just being in New York is awesome. I remember on the first day of my visit I was eating lunch in Central Park watching kids play soccer. Just a nice memory.
I had to fly home from New York because we started filming the new season of Last Call with Carson Daly on 9/15. We are into the show's 8th Season. I've been with the show since 2005. Everyone at the show is fantastic. It's a fun group to work with. We tape on Monday and Wednesday. So I did the shows and took the red eye flight from LA to Cleveland for our next set of shows. Mitch and I did shows every weekend in September. I arrive in Cleveland on Thursday morning. I asked Rob (the guy who picked me up) if he knew of a local Dunkin Donuts. I love their coffee and donuts but the DD doesn't exist in California. So whenever I hit the road, I always try and find one. Well Rob didn't know of one but said he would stop if he saw one en route. I feel asleep in the back of the car and woke up in a haze to see us pulling into a Dunkin Donuts. I was in heaven. I jumped out and grabbed coffee and donuts. So good. Alright, so at this point in the BLOG it seems as though the month of September has been a blast. Here is where things change. ENJOY.
Cleavland, OH:So most clubs I work I stay at the hotel with Mitch. But sometimes the club will put up comics at a condo. Fortunately I've only stayed at a few condos in my career (most pretty good). Most comics will tell you that you aren't a road comic till you've stayed at some of these shity shitty comedy condos. What makes them shitty? Well furniture from the 1950's, one plate in the entire condo, disgusting carpet, a bed you would rather not sleep on, broken everything, no internet, nothing nearby in walking distance, urine smell. But many comics coming up would LOVE to have a place like this because they are on the road getting paid to do comedy and the club is actually giving them accommodations. Well I don't feel that way since I've already paid my dues. And like I said, normally I stay with Mitch at the hotel. Sometimes even when the club has a condo, he pushes for me to get the hotel with him. But since this was our first time in Cleveland, he couldn't pull me in the hotel so I stayed at the condo. So let's back up. Fly from New York back to LA. Work at Carson Mon/Wed. Take the red eye Wednesday night. Arrive Cleveland Thursday. Dead tired. Walk into this condo. I'm miserable. I try to fall asleep on the sofa but apparently the condo windows face a road where salt trucks and various other (18) wheelers drive to access the freeway nearby. Needless to say it was so f'ing loud I could fall asleep. So I went to the club for our first show tired and grumpy. Now please don't feel sorry for me. I'm sure a lot of people are reading this like, "Man. This guy knows what it's like to be a prisoner of war... No internet. WTF???" But seriously. It's hard for me to explain. I will schedule us a trip next year and we will visit the condo. Then you can apologize to me.
What can I say about the Cleveland Improv? Great staff. Very nice. Great people. But the crowds were by and large disrespectful. I had a couple making out right in front of me one night. Not just a little kissing. Full on making out. Front row. These people are big Cleveland Browns fans. So any mention of an opposing city got huge groans and them yelling obscenities. Our last night was Sunday and the Browns lost that afternoon so as I was walking to the stage a guy yelled "Browns lost. This guy better be funny." That summed up the week. But the highlight was Mitch and I going to see a Cleveland Indians game at Progressive Field formerly Jacobs Field. The Indians played the Tigers. And since I'm from Detroit I was excited. This was my first time at Progressive Field. Great stadium. I think if the Indians had been out of town this weekend and we couldn't see a pro game, we would have been bouncing off the walls. But again, thanks to everyone at the club for being so great. Especially Lee for giving us the Indians tix.
 
Pittsburg, PA:So I fly home Monday morning. Work at Carson again Mon/Wed. Take another red eye from LA to Pittsburgh. I arrive Thursday. The Pirates are out of town this weekend and the Steelers are playing on Monday night. So again. No sporting event this time. The Steelers fans could be even crazier and more die hard than those in Cleveland. People in Pittsburgh hate people in Cleveland. And vice versa. Did I forget something. It's just a game right? The week was non-eventful but fun. Aimee is the GM. I've known Aimee for a long time. We first met when she was a manager at the Irvine Improv. Just a sweetheart. She moved to Pittsburgh to be close with her family and new baby Kaleb. We didn't get to meet Kaleb because he was sick the weekend we were there. But Pittsburgh was fun and would definitely go back.
A great run of shows this month. Great memories. I think I will be back at Gotham in December. Would love to do Houston sooner than later. And Cleveland later rather than sooner. October brings a casino in Laughlin, NV with my old bud Ralphie May. Then back to working with Mitch in Philadelphia and Atlanta. Can't wait to see my good friends Eddie and Irina in Atlanta. Look for info on these shows in my October BLOG... hitting newstands and porn sites early November. Happy Halloween everyone.
posted by Gary Cannon at: 4:56 AM | 0 Comments
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Blog Introduction:
So here it is. My first BLOG. Many of my fans, (play along), asked when I was going to update my website. I mean when the old site was designed years ago, I really thought the brick background was classy.
And what about the fake applause heard if you had your speakers turned up. Amazing. Well I pulled the site down in early 2007 and decided I needed help in redesigning something more fun. So through a friend of a friend, I found a great designer, Leah Eropkin. She is a student at Laguna College in Orange County.
After months of us both being busy, when I say "us both" I'm trying to make myself feel better, Leah was able to come up with a unique website design. Leah was great at always accomodating my neurotic personality (a neurotic comic, no way). She spent hours upon hours creating a site that I really liked and was proud of. And when I paid her for the great design, she didn't even get mad when my check bounced.
BTW. Leah worked really hard on this BLOG design. We both wanted something entirely different from the main website. So this creation was great. Again, thanks for the hard work Leah.
Since the website was finished in August, I decided to post a longer BLOG covering the beginning of this year to now, mid August. Moving forward, I will be updating my BLOG weekly for fans (mom) with stories from the road. So here goes the first one. Enjoy the stories/pics. My sister is a doctor and after reading my BLOG, she said it's the perfect cure for an insomniac. Not sure what that means but thanks sis.
Year Thus Far:I work regularly at the Irvine Improv, primarily thanks to the club manager Frank Kelly. Frank and I met years ago when he was the GM at the Ontario Improv and we hit it off immediately.
After working my first Improv week in Ontario w/ Brett Butler, Frank would call and request me to work with other headliners. He even gave me a headlining show one night called Gary Cannon and friends.
When you get your own headlining show, it's a big deal. Problem was, headliners perform a minimum of (45) minutes. I had about (15) minutes of material. So on my first headlining night at the Improv, I let my friend Kenny Kane headline the show. Back to Frank. He eventually left the Ontario Improv and went to the Irvine Improv. Both are great clubs. Again Frank always pushed for me to work his club. Working an Improv, especially in southern California, is huge because there are so many comics living in Los Angeles and everyone wants to perform there. So I do owe Frank a lot for always throwing me work.
In January 2007, Frank had me host with Mitch Fatel. Mitch is known for his Comedy Central special, his Tonight Show correspondance pieces and is always heard on Sirius and XM satellite radio.
After hosting with Mitch that first week of January, he asked me if I would want to tour with him. He liked my high energy and thought I looked classy in a Men's Wearhouse suit. I actually got it from Kohls.
He wanted to start doing a two person show. Most comedy shows are three people, host, feature or middle and headliner. Now you have to remember a lot of comics will say "Hey, I would love for you to work with me.." and then they won't return a phone call. I'm not naming names but rhymes with Beinfeld. But Mitch was different and he actually called me again. After our first week together in Irvine, we met up again mid June for a week of shows in Austin, TX. At the time, I really didn't have the (25) minutes he wanted me to do before him. I maybe had (20) but thought I could get through it. Well Austin was ok. I remember I brought notes on stage in Austin to remember my act. One night the club owner was watching and the set was not going well. My notes were on a bar stool to my right. I went to look down and noticed the notes were gone. The club had a ceiling fan above the stage and the fan had blown the notes to the far corner of the stage. I had to stop and walk over to get the notes. It was a long fifteen seconds of silence. After Austin we hit Chattanooga (home of half priced food), Philadelphia, Atlanta and Boston (my first time, loved it). Not only did we start developing this great two man show, we also started to become great friends. We didn't realize this till late in the year but we really had a lot in common.
It was in 2008 that our calendar was completely full and are friendship really took off. Here is a look at some of the great memories from the road this year.
Highlights of 2008:Marco Island, FL: (Mid January)A guy named Captain Brien owns a seafood restaurant in Marco Island, FL which is near Ft Myers. This guy loves comedy and on the weekends after the dinner rush, he turns his restaurant into a comedy club. Mitch and I will agree 100% this was the best gig yet the toughest gig. A seafood restaurant converted to a comedy club at night doesn't usually work. But Captain Brien spent a lot of money on a great sound system and a nice stage and he gets some big names to come do his room. One of the big reasons people come to Marco Island is for Captain Brien. He is a true sweetheart. When you travel, most clubs put you up in a hotel. Which is fine BUT Captain Brien puts you up in this million dollar home he owns on the water. This place is amazing. Just amazing. And he takes such good care of you during the day. He sent us out with a friend of his and this guy took us fishing all day. Captain Brien always made sure we had great meals. He even had his chef prepare and cook the fish we caught that day on the boat. Sometimes the shows were rowdy and difficult, but overall everything was great. Captain Brien really knows how to treat the comics and that house of his couldn't be better. We hope to be back soon. This will easily go down as one of our most memorable weekends. Not for the shows, but for everything before and after.
Royal Oak, MI: (Early Febraury)My sister Julie has triplets. Two boys and a girl. And the little girl has autism. A little unusual because it's primarily more common in boys. Well my sister Julie, along with my other sister Michelle and my mom, decided to do a fundraiser for autism. But what made this fundraiser unique was that all money raised went directly to Devon's school to help her and other autistic kids. This money would be used for after school programs and things that would benefit the kids directly. Many times when a non-profit does a fundraiser, the money goes into creating more awareness for the cause. Now I agree creating awareness is very important, BUT we wanted to do something different and this was a way to give all the money back to the kids and the school. So we did a show at Mark Ridleys Comedy Club in Royal Oak, MI. It was me and a very funny headliner Ian Bagg (one of my favorites). Don't worry. Mitch won't read this. We had about (300) people at this event on a cold, miserable night in February. The comedy show raised a bunch of money. Before the show we held a silent auction and that too was a huge success. It was truly an amazing evening. My sisters Julie and Michelle, along with my mon, did such a great job. We are planning an even bigger fundraiser in 2009.
Ontario, CA: (Mid February)I got a call from the GM of this club asking if I wanted to work with Dana Carvey for two nights. He was getting ready to film his HBO special and was fine tuning it. He was such a nice guy. A very cool experience.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL: (Mid February)One of my favorite clubs of all time. This club is located in the Hard Rock Hotel and there is a ton of stuff going on here. A ton of bars and restaurants. The Improv isn't connected to the hotel. It's a stand alone building outside. At first look, I was intimidated by the club. But Mitch and I had one of our most fun weeks here. Great crowds. Great owner Joel. We will be back in Ft Lauderdale performing on NYE.
Nashville/ Chattanooga, TN: (Mid March)HMMM. This was a fun two weeks back to back. This was the first time Mitch and I did Zanies in Nashville. My first time to Nashville. We had done Chattanooga last year and didn't think we would return. But the weeks were back to back and we did them. Actually the great thing about the Nashville run was the snow. Nashville never gets snow and on Friday it was reported the city was to get hit with three to five inches of snow. So the town closes down. It was very cool to see them getting ready for this small armageddon. And Friday afternoon, it started to snow. People left work early. Roads were a mess. BUT we still had a great turnout for both Friday shows. By Saturday morning, it was gone. I liked this club a little more than Mitch. My intro to the stage was hilarious. The manager would get on the back microphone and say the following "If you guys are parked in the lot directly behind the club, you will be towed. I repeat, you will be towed. No warnings. Now please welcome Gary Cannon."
Nothing gets an audience more pumped up to see you than the threat of your car being towed. Also one of the funniest things from the weekend. We did two shows Saturday night. The club manager tells me during the first show that the second show is going to have some rowdy people. I asked her what that was about. She said a couple of guys came to buy tix for the second show and they were already hammered. So instead of possibly telling them to hit the road, she sent them to the bar across the street before the second show started. The second show is being sat and I asked where the two guys are. She said right next to the stage. Awesome. Comics not only love drunk people but we love them up front. The greenroom door is also by the stage and these two guys are banging on the door yelling for Mitch even before the show starts. I go up on stage and they are immediately obnoxious. I start having fun with them. The one guy had frosted tips in his hair so I had fun with that. And they settled down fast after realizing they were going to be made fun of. After I bring Mitch up, I go to the back and watch the show. I noticed one of the guys I was making fun of is now sleeping. I tell one of the door guys and he says "Well at least he isn't bothering anyone." Maybe he was right. I enjoyed the club. Staff was great. Brian is a great owner. Really took care of us. Thanks to frosted tips. Wherever he may be. Chattanooga was next.
It was one of our first gigs in 2007. Didn't think we would make it back. Not our favorite room. We definitely had more fun second time around. I will say fans in the south are definitely appreciative of the shows. Our favorite part of this week was the same as it was last year, a 24 hours restaurant called City Diner. This is our favorite waitress Sandy. She is the best.
 
Kalamazoo, MI: (End March)We only did four shows in two nights here BUT what made this trip memorable was Mitch and I flew into Michigan a day early to see my mom. She cooked us a great dinner and we spent the night before driving to Kalamazoo the next day. My mom loved Mitch. She drinks a lot.
Las Vegas, NV: (Early April)I worked the Improv in Vegas back in 2004. The Improv is in the Harrahs casino mid strip. Now Vegas is a long week because you do (12) shows over six nights. I know, tell this to a construction worker. FU right. Well it's a long week, trust me. Plus I don't really drink or gamble. You need a car in Vegas to get off the strip and enjoy some sanity until showtime. Well when I did the Improv I flew rather than driving. So I was kind of stuck in the hotel and on the strip most of the day. This time I was at the Riviera Hotel (north strip). I must say I loved it. I liked the room a little better. I had my car and was able to leave the strip and mess around during the day. The Riviera does (14) shows over seven days. YES. Two extra shows and one more day. Have a little sympathy for me!!! But I loved working the Riviera. I just love being paid to perform in a city where so many people blow their life savings in a three day weekend. But they do get to see the three blue guys banging a trash can.
Chicago, IL: (Mid April)We performed at a club called Zanies. Same chain as the one mentioned above. Zanies has three clubs in the Chicago area (St Charles/ downtown Chicago/ Vernon Hills).
The first and last club mentioned are suburb clubs. Now everyone says the downtown club is the best. It's small and is right in the heart of everything. I love Chicago but Mitch and I didn't like the downtown room. Lots of people talking throughout the show, no staff members telling the audience to keep quiet. My mom and sister Julie drove from Michigan to see us in this club one night. Needless to say I would have much preferred to have them in Ft Lauderdale. However, Mitch and I loved the two suburban clubs. St Charles was a resort with the comedy club inside. During our stay, a ton of high school kids from all over the country were there to compete in this huge debate contest. Mitch and I watched some of the debates and man these kids were amazing. BTW. The GM of St Charles (Cyndi) was amazing. She made the week a real pleasure. P.S. We did one night (two shows) at the Zanies in Vernon Hills. We loved it there too. We wished we were there longer. Not sure why we had such a disliking for the downtown club.
Brea, CA: (Early May)I worked at the Brea Improv with Bob Saget. I've worked with Bob before and he is truly a sweetheart. He actually requested me for this gig which made it even more enjoyable. But don't worry Mitch, I would never cheat on you with Bob. UNLESS...
Charlotte, NC: (Late May)So it sounded good on paper. Three days, early spring. North Carolina. The booker for this run is a guy named Mike Hall. A true sweetheart. We were doing three nights in NC. Our first night was at a theater in Asheville, NC. Now Asheville is a great little "mountain hippie" town about two hours north of Charlotte. We were expecting great things from this one night. Wrong. Small crowd. I mean they loved the show and we loved them, but we were definitely disappointed with the turnout. So after the show, we drive the two hours back to Charlotte. We have shows Friday and Saturday nights at a place called the Pineville Dinner Theater. On paper, again, sounded great. For me, I had the worst four shows in a long time. And if you're reading this and you live in another city, you might say "I saw you tank in Nashville, etc." Save it. These audiences hated me and I didn't particularly care for them. I don't think it was anyone's fault, I just think this room was very similar to Marco Island in that it was a restaurant used as a comedy club. I normally do (25) minutes. I literally was done with my (25) minutes in half this time simply because the audience wasn't laughing. BUT just like Marco Island, Mitch and I were taken care of like kings by Mike Hall. We actually extended our trip by a day because Mike took us to see a NASCAR event in Charlotte. We had a great time. Those are true diehard fans.
Tempe, AZ: (Late June)This club ties with Ft Lauderdale. So much fun. Every show was sold out. And the room fits over (400) people. Mitch has a ton of fans in AZ. Every night was amazing. Looking forward to going back.
Minneapolis, MN/ San Jose, CA/ Denver, CO: (July)Mitch and I were on the road three weeks in a row this month. We started out at the Acme Comedy Club in Minneapolis. So many comics talk about how great this room is and they were dead on. Great owner. Great food at restaurant attached to club. And fun shows. The San Jose Improv was next. I've worked there before but it was the first time for Mitch. Shows were good. We stayed at a great hotel (Fairmont) right by the club. The highlight was taking the train from San Jose to San Francisco Sunday morning to check out a Giants game. That stadium is amazing. Giants lost but still a great day. Thanks to Howard for giving us those great tix ten rows from the dugout. The month ended in Denver. First time for me in Denver. The Denver Improv was great. So many good people running that club. Stacy, John, Mike. I think I still hear music playing in the speakers over the stage. Mike... HELP. Only me, Mitch and Mike can enjoy that.
Minneapolis Photos:
 
San Jose Photos:
 
 
Denver Photos:
Irvine, CA: (Early August)So Mitch was in Los Angeles this weekend covering the X Games for the Tonight Show. He got a call a few weeks before he arrived saying Bill Bellamy had to cancel his week at the Irvine Improv so since Mitch was already in LA, did he want to do it. Perfect timing. We are going to be in Irvine the first week of January 2009 so this was an added bonus. Irvine was the first club Mitch and I worked in January 2007. We did four shows this weekend in Irvine. Had fun. But during the day Mitch and I hung out at the X Games. Very cool seeing these guys do their thing. I also went with Mitch to the Tonight Show. His X Games piece turned out great and everyone seemed happy with it.
Virginia Beach, VA: (Early August)My last club entry for this BLOG. Virginia Beach Funnybone. HMMMM. Nice club. Nice staff. Mitch and I had one of the most obnoxious, most disrespectful crowds during our second show Friday. But the door guys House and Travis were great. NO TOLERANCE policy. Inside joke. I hope they find that green room key. The highlight of the week was a great radio station Mitch and I were on to plug the show. Mike and Bob are the afternoon DJs at a station called 96X FM.
These guys were awesome. We were on with these guys laughing and having fun for an hour. They really were a ton of fun. And they came to our Sunday night show. If you live in Virginia Beach, listen to their show from 2 - 7 pm on 96X FM.
posted by Gary Cannon at: 2:22 AM | 2 Comments
Friday, May 30, 2008
friday
coming soon.
posted by Gary Cannon at: 7:00 PM | 0 Comments
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